Juvenile delinquency (1955)

54 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY Every negative approach had been tried. We had so many laws and ordi- nances on the bool^s even tlie officers couldn't keep ti'ack of them. There were speeches galore on the subject of the hot rodder. You are all familiar with the literature in the field, yet the answer was not to be found in roundtable discussions alone, but positive, intelligent, and understanding action was neces- sary. As a last resort we dropped the idea of trying to "beat" the hot rodders and decided to "join" them, gain their confidence, and by so doing lend respec- tibility to their sport. The hot rod problem has been with us for a long time. All brought by a keen spirit of competition between each owner of a hot rod, an extremely hazardous condition resulted by the use of city streets during dark hours for race track activities. As you are all aware, this caused many complaints from irate citizens <3emanding the hazards to their safety and the disturbance to their peace and quiet, be stopped. Public sentiment, aroused by lack of control, caused large- scale drives against hot rodders by law enforcement officers in southern Cali- fornia. The problem was of such magnitude the California State Legislature en- acted laws making it illegal for any person to i)articipate or be in attendance at such races. This had just the opposite effect and hot rod activities increased. Many fatal accidents occurred as the result of a young hot rod enthusiast trying out his "souped-up buggy" at every opportunity. Several spontaneous hot rod clubs were formed, but they lacked organization and purpose and continued on their merry way of giving the public and police officials a constant headache. A traffic officer of the Pomona Police force, a racing enthusiast himself, was appointed liaison officer between the Pomona Police Department and the hot rodders. In contacting the different clubs and explaining the nature of com- plaints received by the police department, yet showing an interest in their activi- ties, this officer was able to gradually establish a spirit of understanding and fellowship among them. Some progress was noted in the initial stages. At one of the many meetings, the police department offered to donate the use of the officers' club rooms one evening a week for the hot rod club to use as a meeting place. The offer was accepted. This move proved to be mutually advantageous as it brought the hot rodder.s and the police department closer together, and afforded an opportunity for each to gain a more thorough understanding of the other's problems. Efforts were made to find a place for a hot rod track. No one would listen to our plea. Finally, "we cracked the ice" at an old abandoned airfield in San Bernardino County. Another setback—insurance; we finally, after many dis- couragements, obtained a i)olicy from Lloyds of London. We were open for busi- ness, and our opening Sunday was a huge success. Several hundred cars came to w'atch those "rambling wrecks" roar down the track. And, let me tell you this—the old adage, "nothing succeeds like success" is true. People flocked to our aid—prizes, timers, and all were offered. We were a going concern and "off to the races" in every sense of the word. We later, through the help of the city of Pomona, leased the parking lot at the Los Angeles County Fair Ground. The track is better and the attendance is con- tinually increased. An extensive safety program was initiated into the club's curriculum and added life was given to the club's activities through the medium of supervised "poker- runs", time runs, secret-destination runs, and planned group tours. To stimulate interest further, an activity chart was set up to bring out the spirit of competi- tion. A point system was established wherein the club members could gain or lose points according to their degree of participation in the program. The incen- tive used to stimulate interest in acquiring tlie most points was in the shape of a large perpetual activity trophy which is awarded to the winner semianniially. There was such high competitive spirit and interest among the club members that the membership was tripled in a short time. The activity chart and point system were largely instrumental in decreasing the number of citations issued to "hot rodders" and complaints i-eceived. The hot r(Klders have become a force- ful group for the promoting of a sound safety program throughout tlie com- munity. Their spirit and desire to be helpful have accrued to the benefit of every- one. The energy of this youthful group has been channeled along sound and progressive lines. It can be proudly stated that through the coojierative program carried on between the hot rodders and the local police department, there has been a sharp decline in accidents involving the younger drivers. Also, nightly calls received by the police from complaining citizens concerning racing hot rods on the city streets have become practically nonexistent. Whatever problems still existing is usually caused by those who have no knowledge of the program.